Kim Bowman - Biography

Biography

I had my education mainly in the Netherlands, where I started art school at the age of 17. Have made art installations and environments and exhibitions of large books and 'experience machines'. My works have been purchased and commissioned by museums, private art collectors and the Dutch Government.

A few immature compositions date from those years. Meanwhile I played guitars and drums in several Punk bands. During and after art school I manufactured a range of musical instruments which I used in tape compositions. From there I gradually started writing music. At that time I was studying cello and percussion as well. In 1985 I enrolled at the Utrecht Conservatorium of Music at the composition department and continued my studies in 1987 at the Rotterdam Conservatorium of Music where I undertook minor studies in double bass and piano as well.

My compositions have been commissioned and performed world wide by major orchestras and ensembles like the Residentie Orchestra The Hague, Amsterdam Sinfonietta, Holland Sinfonia, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and the Meridian Arts Ensemble New York. Reinbert de Leeuw, David Porcelijn, Etienne Siebens, Lucas Vis and Jac van Steen amongst others have conducted my works.

Being trained as an artist and musician I have been adding self designed musical instruments to the conventional orchestra range for my own compositions. When I started work in 2006 with one of the major landscape architects in Sydney, Fiona Robbé, who specialises in designing playgrounds, she pointed out to me the great demand for interactive music play in playgrounds and community play spaces and challenged me to start taking designing sound sculptures as a serious business.

In designing playgrounds, especially for children, there has always been an emphasis on the physical aspect of play. Other senses like hearing, touch and smell are fairly new to be incorporated into playgrounds. Sensory gardens, for touch and smell, as well as sound sculpture have seen recent developments in the playground industry.

Since early 2008 I have been designing and manufacturing a growing range of interactive and occasionally multifunctional sound sculptures for council and school playgrounds and other public areas. Creating a bridge to my earlier training and life as a visual artist. All sculptures are manufactured of sustainable materials like Iron Bark and Stainless Steel, providing enjoyable and sustainable play environments for children and adults. It is a challenge and joy to design beauty combined with functionality.

My sound sculptures can be experienced in the parks and playgrounds listed below

- Centennial Park, Sydney, NSW

- Pyrmont Point Park, Sydney, NSW (winner of 2 state awards)

- Foley Park, Glebe, Sydney, NSW

- Lucas Gardens SNSchool, Canada Bay, Sydney, NSW

- Wood Street, Forest Lodge, Sydney, NSW

- Victoria Park, Dubbo, NSW

- Randwick Children's Hospital, Randwick, Sydney, NSW

- The Hills School, Northmead, Sydney, NSW

- Burdekin Council, Ayr, QLD

- Merriwa Pre School, Merriwa, Hunter Valley, NSW

- Petersborough SNSchool, Warrila, NSW

- Talbot Primary School, Talbot, VIC

- Tim Neville Park, Melbourne, VIC

- Mosman, Cairns Regonal Council, QLD

- Sugarworld, Cairns Regonal Council, QLD

- Springfield, Brisbane, QLD

- Gosford Council, NSW

- Charlestown Shopping Centre, NSW

- Redland Council, Brisbane, QLD

- Para Meadows SNSchool, Wollongong, NSW

- Gallipoli Park, Marysville, VIC

- Macquarrie University, Sydney, NSW

- Skippy Park, Sunshine Coast Council, QLD

- Playground Yarra Ranges Council, VIC

- Redlands School playground, Cremorne, Sydney, NSW

In 2011 more parks in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth and Singleton will be provided with my sound sculptures.

1957	Born in Margaret River, Western Australia.
1974-1978	Art school in Den Bosch, Netherlands
1983-1985	Cello and percussion at school of music.
1985-1987	Composition studies at Utrecht Conservatorium of Music with David Porcelijn. Also worked in the electronic studio with Ton Bruynel.
1986	Attended master classes by American composer Morton Feldman and Danish composer Per Norgard.
1987-1993	Composition studies with Klaas de Vries at the Rotterdam Conservatorium of Music. Minored in piano and double bass.
1992-1996	Programming chamber music concerts and radio broadcastings.
1995-1997	Taught at school of music courses on contemporary music in collaboration with the Brabants Orchestra. Covering the period from Beethoven's late works up to the present.
1998	Summer course with colleague composer on conducting and musical interpretation with music electives, children aged 13 to 16.
1998-2002	High-end audio and theatre acoustics.
2001	Trained as a professional organiser.
2002-2005	Orchestra Manager at chamber orchestra Musica Ducis (former Brabants Chamber Orchestra).
2002	Head of jury in children's composers competition.
2004	Courses on contemporary music at the Music Centre s-Hertogenbosch (this is a nationwide renown stage for mostly contemporary music in the Netherlands)
2005	Moved from the Netherlands to Sydney. Teaching music, cello and percussion. Performance of Alchemia I by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra
2006	Performance of Black Wind at the Adelaide Festival by Amsterdam Sinfonietta, conducted by Etienne Siebens and Claire Edwardes as percussion soloist.
2006-2007	Landscape designing at Fiona Robbé's office
2008	Designing Sound Sculptures and Musical Instruments for playgrounds

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